How Do You Determine the Right Charging Infrastructure? What strategic, tactical, and operational questions do you need to answer?
Electric vehicles require charging stations to recharge their batteries — stations that are located in the right places and sized to match the realities of daily urban logistics operations. Freight transport, where delivery predictability and low costs are the priority, places very different demands on charging infrastructure than passenger mobility.
Charging: how do you organize it?
Deploying BEV and PHEV vehicles raises a range of questions: Is there sufficient capacity in the electricity grid? How and where will companies charge their vehicles in the future? Are there enough charging points in the right locations? What investments are involved? Will adjustments to the electricity grid be needed up to 2025 and beyond? Should the focus be on public charging infrastructure, or will companies build private charging stations?
For haulers and own-account operators considering investment in electric vans and trucks, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) plays a decisive role. Calculating TCO for electric vehicles is considerably more complex than for diesel vehicles.
The NAL document on depot charging for trucks helps answer the questions that arise in this area, offers new insights, and provides concrete practical tips. The focus is on charging at depots: research has shown that 80% of electric truck charging will occur there.
The growing space requirements of the charging infrastructure
Electrifying truck fleets demands a far more considered layout of logistics depots. Recent exchanges among experts reveal that the spatial, technical, and operational impact of charging infrastructure is frequently underestimated.
Choosing the right charging concept matters: space requirements vary considerably depending on whether you opt for overnight or fast charging, and are further shaped by transformers, vehicle impact protection, and battery storage. Insurance guidelines must also be factored in, as fire safety advice may require additional distance from buildings and supplementary protective measures.
A deliberate economic assessment is equally important. Charging on your own site offers control and lower energy costs, but requires substantial investment and high utilization rates. For companies without their own premises, a semi-public or collective charging plaza may offer a solution, though lease agreements sometimes limit the options for installing your own equipment. Technology is developing rapidly. Work with flexible designs and principles, and factor in the space needed for climate adaptation early on — depot space is scarce.
Strategic, tactical, and operational questions in charging infrastructure
Companies will be electrifying their fleets in the years ahead. How do you prepare for that as a business? How do you ensure that the transition to electric transport is managed affordably and reliably? What are the strategic, tactical, and operational questions when it comes to charging infrastructure?
Strategic questions
Charging locations and stations:
- Which charging location is optimal — at the shipper’s site, at your own depot, or en route?
- What type and capacity of charging stations are needed?
- What is the impact of charging speed on operational use and on the costs of energy, personnel, and equipment (waiting time during charging)?
- What is the availability of charging points — is there a queue, or can access be predicted?
- Will charging also take place at public or private charging points (at home or at customers’ sites)?
- Who decides on investment in charging points, and who finances them?
- How easily can the infrastructure and grid connection be adapted? How can we generate our own energy?
- What physical space is needed for the vehicles being charged?
- What is the logical traffic flow around the charging plaza? And which systems support efficient on-site planning?
- How do you arrange a fire-safe charging infrastructure?
Developments in trip profiles and the distribution network:
- What are the operational requirements per trip segment in terms of vehicle capacity, trip length, and number of stops?
- What are the origins and destinations per segment? Where do vehicles come from, and where do they go?
- How many kWh will electric vehicles need (in the future), and at which point during the week and day?
- Do trip profiles call for a hybrid model — fast charging alongside slow charging?
Charging strategy versus battery:
- What is the best charging strategy per segment and vehicle type to ensure operational reliability and predictable delivery in practice? This is closely linked to energy storage and battery choices when selecting vehicles.
- What charging capacity must the charging points deliver?
Power demand per location:
- Given the business’s charging strategy, where and when will electrical power be needed for charging?
- What total energy demand does this lead to?
- Does a peak in power demand, combined with other electricity consumption, exceed what the local grid can supply?
- What alternatives and mitigating measures exist to meet the energy demand regardless? What opportunities do energy hubs shared with neighboring businesses offer?
- Do you invest once for years ahead, or let the infrastructure grow alongside the business’s development?
Lowest cost:
- Which approach delivers the lowest operational costs (OPEX) across the different delivery segments? What capital investments (CAPEX) are involved?
- How do you finance the charging infrastructure?
Managing and monitoring:
- What data are needed to manage the energy system?
Tactical questions arise in the procurement of energy (in conjunction with own energy generation), the rollout of vehicles and the associated charging infrastructure.
Operational questions arise around which vehicles charge fast or slow, where on-site, what the driver does in the meantime, and the deployment of smart charging. This frequently requires specialized planning software and support from an Energy Management System (EMS).
For lighter vehicles
More information on lower-capacity connections (for example, for passenger cars or vans) can be found in the RVO starter guide Charging Electric Company Cars. For the municipal perspective on charging for the logistics sector, see the NKL guidance document Charging Electric Vehicles in the Logistics Sector.
The role of government
A further challenge concerns public authorities and (private) investors in public charging facilities: understanding electricity demand from the logistics market. This covers not only total electricity demand but, above all, the question of where charging infrastructure can be sensibly located, effectively used, and made financially viable, which depends directly on the trip profiles of the vehicles in operation.
Walther Ploos van Amstel
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